So Shopbop, one of my faves, is having a huge huge huge sale starting today until the 30th! It'll really push you to go big on holiday presents this year! Or maybe, go big on spending on yourself! I meeeean, you've been a good girl, right? :P
If you're new to Shopbop, here are little gift guides to help you navigate your holiday shopping through the site. Happy shopping!
So before I go off talking about our trip to Seattle, I thought I'd share what we've learned from our trip in Chicago last month. We only spent 3 days and 3 nights in Chicago and what we've accomplished in those three days were beyond every tourist-y thing we've done here in LA.
The trip was amazing. From meeting our relatives to exploring the beautiful city of Chicago, we did not run out of things to do at all. We visited so many places in such a short time that during our flight to back to LA, I had to recount the tourist spots (if you will) that we visited. After looking at our list, I felt pretty bad ass that we were able to visit all the places. There were a lot...and I mean A LOT of other tourists because of the sporting events going on that weekend and the on top of that, there was a jazz music fest too. It was crazy but it's the good kind of crazy. Here is a video to prove all the fun we had:
Our Chicago trip also proved that Ron is THE BEST travel buddy for me. So glad that he's just as excited and thrilled as I am when touristing and he actually was able to handle my whining towards the end of Saturday because I was so damn tired. Also, the uber driver dropped us off at the wrong side of Millennium Park instead of dropping us off right in front of THE Bean. That gave us a chance to explore more though! And I got to take this beautiful picture...
This actually made me ask: How in the world did we do it? We usually suck in being tourists because we love sleeping in when we don't have the dogs with us (no morning walks required). So even though I am no Chicago expert, here are some things that worked for us.
Manage your time. Don't spend too long in one place. Museums take time, some places have shows and time is against you so make sure to manage it well. We started our days by waking up at 730am and making sure that we're out before 930am. We ate heavy breakfasts to make sure that we're fueled up.
Know where to go. One of our friends recommended getting a CityPASS. We got to go 5 different tourist spots with VIP entry/fast passes for only a fraction of the cost--$96 to be exact, and by doing that, we saved $102. A few of the passes require you to choose one from two places but don't worry, you still get a discount if you want to visit the other place.
Walk if you can, Uber if you can't. Towards the end of Saturday, I was all whiney and tired so Ron and I did not make walking a choice to go to Skydeck. We took an Uber instead and leaving the place, we took another Uber to take us to the Millennium Park. I guess I should also say that do NOT for any reason rent a car especially if you're staying in Downtown Chicago. Parking there costs a fortune and they have angry, honky drivers in the city. Seriously.
Stay in Downtown Chicago. This can get pricey, I understand. Fortunately, we have family that has a condo in downtown so we had the luxury to stay at her place. But you know what, I can imagine spending a few hundred bucks to stay in downtown well worth it. Maybe try airbnb.com?
I wore this red dress to my birthday dinner exactly eleven days ago today. Ron took me to Portofino Cucina Italiana in LA where our romantic 5-course meal was absolutely amazing! This red dress is one of my most favorite Forever21 sale buys because I only grabbed it so I have something to try on but I ended up loving it, and it has the perfect shade of red. Since I'm tall, it also has the perfect maxi length that I prefer.
In other news, I came across an article on HuffPost entitled "2 Ways To Be Happier" and immediately asked myself, what makes me happy. I thought of Ron, Fox and Chippy, my dogs and food. However, the article was not about tangible things, it is about how you can make yourself and other people happier. The article also emphasizes that happiness is a choice and that in can be found in two ways: by a shift in your perspective and recognizing something you are thankful for, and two, committing random acts of kindness. It's a pretty good read in my opinion...especially if you're having a rough time.
Before you leave, I am happy to announce that the ultimate cash giveaway is back! :) As always, it is organized by Oh My Gosh Beck! and will last for nearly a month. Good luck! :)
Ron and I got a membership from the Dollar Shave Club recently and we LOVE it. We are not exactly that hairy but after calculating the savings, we knew we had to let go of our current shaving situation and just get a subscription. We now only pay $6 for four cartridges and paid an extra $4 for my handle so we each have our own. If you're wondering how our lives were when we only had one handle, well, I switched the cartridges back and forth every time I used it. LOL
Back to Dollar Shave Club--their subscription start at just $3 a month, which means if you and your partner (for lack of better gender sensitive term) subscribe, you guys can easily save over $100 a year just on shaving supplies like Ron and I are doing right now. And guess where that money is going…I have a few ideas...
A WHOLE LOT OF FOOD…AND BOBA (bubble tea) DRINKS. I swear, I just found FOUR receipts in my purse from our favorite boba place for the same drink that I get with different dates. LOL
10 large buckets of golf balls at the driving range? Maybe?
Two HUGE bags of dog food and a few dog toys. The dogs will REJOICE. LOL
Our first baby turns four today! We celebrated yesterday with froyo and presents (don't worry, we got two of everything). We also attempted to take a few family pictures but that did not work out as well as we imagined. Fox was like a kid having a tantrum and won't let anyone take his pic. LOL
To celebrate here on the blog, I'd like to share five random things about this little creature.
1. He is a barker.
2. He loves licking off lotion. Every damn morning.
3. He welcomes us everyday when we get home by barking like crazy.
4. He answers back to us with little growls and barks. When I yell at him, he answers back with the funniest sound as if he is defending himself. I have to maintain my composure though. LOL
5. He loves to kiss and he aims for the lips. He gives sloppy kisses too! Yeah, it gets gross sometimes.
The most stressful part of planning our vacation was putting outfits together. I wanted everything to match every pair of shoes that I brought just in case it becomes uncomfortable. Happy to share that the plan worked out and everything looked at the very least acceptable with each other.
I was literally running around last Friday at work because it was my [ex]boss' last day in the office so I had to make sure I asked him everything AND I was leaving early so I need approvals for EVERYTHING I sent out that morning. I got those approvals though and got home early enough to keep working form home (LOL), drop the dogs off to the pet hotel and get to the cruise terminal just in time that there were no lines anymore. Yay!
We started the cruise exploring the ship, trying out the buffets and just sitting on a bench in one of the decks. We went back to our cabin when it was starting to get chilly and then put our phones on airplane mode—at that moment, I knew we were about to have a great time. ;)
Coat: DKNY (similar in red). Boots: UO (similar).
Taken at the Vancouver Anthropology Museum. Cred: Sister#2.
Ron is celebrating his birthday today! [HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOVE!] We don't have anything planned for today yet because we love to live life on the edge...just kidding! We're going to have shrimp and crawfish for dinner and this coming weekend is actually our cruise weekend. And because I need to work, get packing and have to double check everything, please allow me to say bye-bye and see you all on Monday afternoon. :)
In the mean time, please feel free to enter this super awesome giveaway organized by Oh My Gosh Beck. Good luck! :)
Rules: Use the Rafflecopter form to enter daily. Check the Rafflecopter for the link to our other Target gift card to double your chances of winning! Giveaway ends 5/12 and is open worldwide. Winner will be notified via email. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Are you a blogger who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your blog? Click here to find out how you can join a totally awesome group of bloggers! Linked up with:
Let's get a head start on spring cleaning! Finding functional organization pieces can be hard but if you look in the right places, you might just find what you really need. We are renting a small two-bedroom townhouse in which we are not a huge fans of poking big holes to set up hanging shelves because we'll have to literally pay for them in the future. LOL So as much as possible, we look for pieces to store our stuff that can double as storage and decor or table top surface. Do you have any secrets? Comment to share! :)
Ikea Trones
These sell for $40 for a set of three. We didn't hang ours because we're renting therefore, more holes in the wall equals less deposit back. But I love this because they look very discreet and it's a great space saver!
Stackable Trunk Set
Got mine at this store called Taipan but you can I have seen similar boxes at Wayfair.com, Home Goods, Marshalls and TJ Maxx. These are perfect for the little purses and clutches that I so love!
Watch Box
Ron got ours at eBay. Just like the shoe boxes, it makes everything easy to find and easy to organize.
Clear Shoe Boxes
Got mine at Costco for $18 for a set of 18 boxes however you can find them at the 99 Cent Store. These are great because you can see what pair is inside them and it's easier to decide what to wear.
Stackable Shoe Rack
I loooove these because they are so multi-functional. We use ours for shoes and we use its top for our mail and (sometimes) keys. I am deciding if we should get another one to stack on top of our current two that are stacked together but we'll see. :)
I love my dogs. No, make that I am in love with my dogs. I adore them and if I could, I would stay at home so I can just watch them be silly. However, there are some days when they seem to be testing me. Like earlier this week.
Chippy has this thing where he jumps in front of Fox to lick Fox's face. Fox hates that. Fox hates being surprised, he hates sudden movements. When Chippy did it earlier this week, Fox freaked out and they started fighting. No biting, just straight up high-pitched barking at each other. Of course I got up and pulled the closer one (Chippy) to avoid the fight from escalating. In the process, I managed to put my index finger in Chippy's mouth while he was barking so he left a gash on me. The moment I said fuck and ouch, they both stopped hating each other and Chippy looked guilty as fuck. Strike one.
I got home that day to find the bestest of doggy friends. Fox was even licking Chippy's face--which is rare.
When I was falling asleep while watching TV on the couch, both dogs were whining. I guess they were begging me to please go upstairs so we can all sleep. I turned everything off, went upstairs and did my nighttime rituals. I was soooo sleepy. But Fox was so irritable. They're not best friends. Again. Strike two. He would scare Chippy away from where he was even though nothing really scares Chippy other than Ron's and my voice. So I asked Fox to be quiet. He became quiet and decided to sleep under the bed...where he started sneezing like crazy, which is most likely because of the dust under there. But he won't come out so I got the treats from downstairs and when he emerged, he followed all my commands and I was able to wipe whatever was on his face that was making him sneeze.
Then there was a minute of silence. I was dozing off then Chippy started to gather all of the comforter. "This can't be what I think it is," I thought. He was trying to hump the duvet. So I had to get up again and get one of their hump toys. In the middle of Chippy's mood, Fox started to try stealing the hump toy away from Chippy. So what did I do? Get up and get hump toy #2. Strike three.
That night felt like I would never be able to sleep. We went upstairs at 1045pm, I was in bed at 11pm and was able to finally rest at 12:30am. These dogs, man. They're pieces of work.
It has been a busy, busy holiday season for us. From our annual Christmas party with our friends whom we met from Ron's basketball leagues from years ago, to multiple parties with either of our families to an afternoon at Knott's Merry Farm to a quick trip to San Diego. I would love to share everything at once but I'm afraid that would be an overkill and will definitely slow down your computer as my post loads. With all that said, here are some tidbits!
12/19: Our 5th annual couple picture at our annual holiday party in Fontana.
12/20: For the first time ever, we made an effort in setting the table for our family holiday dinner. :)
12/21: Doggies giving each other love as they rest and recover from the busy two days we just had.
12/24: They were confused as to why we had a rug in the middle of the house.
12/25: A picture of one of Ron's tricky presents. I shake gifts too much that he felt obligated to do this.
12/26: Taken in one of the little (overpriced) stores at Knott's Merry Farm.
Ron and I wish everyone had a busy yet fun holiday season with your loved ones and a fruitful new year as well!
